Tuesday, April 26, 2005

Is it possible to keep essential knowledge from leaving the company as experts change jobs and approach retirement? Members of the UOP KM Core Team will present a review of the techniques & tools they are using to facilitate Knowledge Retention. They’ll discuss results from their Knowledge Continuity pilot program in 2004 and plans for expanding elements of that program in 2005. In addition, they’ll share some of their methods to help business units prioritize knowledge retention projects, show examples of knowledge maps in use at UOP, and talk about new retention techniques that will be piloted soon.

Bios:Michael Schoonover has over 26 years experience at UOP as both a scientist and manager, and has been Director of Knowledge Management since 2002. He has a Ph.D. in chemistry, and earned his Six Sigma Black Belt certification in 2004 in KM. In addition to leading the core KM strategy and implementation team, he has responsibility for best practices in technology management processes. He has written and lectured throughout his career on technology management, innovation, and scientific discovery.

Laura Claggett joined UOP in early 2002 as the Library Manager, and was formerly with Helene Curtis/Unilever for 18 years as an information researcher and library manager. She began working on UOP’s Knowledge Management team in 2003, and earned her Six Sigma Green Belt certification in 2004 in KM. In addition, Laura teaches the Special Libraries course at Dominican University’s Graduate School of Library and Information Science.

Christina Krawczyk has over 15 years experience in corporate libraries, and joined UOP in 2002 as an Information Specialist. She began working on UOP’s Knowledge Management team in 2004, and managed the Knowledge Continuity pilot project last year. Christina was one of 30 Illinois librarians selected to participate in Synergy: The Illinois Library Leadership Initiative 2004, a unique yearlong program designed to develop future leaders in the library professions and in the Illinois community.